Education Program: Testimonials

"I really liked my project. I enjoyed coming into work everyday with an ultimate goal in mind. Previous internships that I had involved completing tiny, dead-end jobs. In this internship, Nico briefed me on some of the goals for the risk map web tool in the first couple weeks and the rest of the summer was spent working toward that goal. Once I reached those goals, I added additional options to the web tool that were outside the immediate USGS goals."

Matt Zahr
2009 PEER Summer Intern
UC Berkeley undergraduate student

"This by far has been the most rewarding work experience I have had so far. I had never participated in research-based studies so everything was new to me. At Cal Poly, most of the emphasis is on undergraduate studies and not research. This summer really opened my eyes to the research side of academia and allowed me to be involved in a way I had never been and furthered my interest in earthquake engineering."

"The fact that my project was a complete project that involved everything from ordering the material to the construction and testing of the specimen, gave me a great opportunity to experience a bit of how real research works."

"My PEER research gave me the opportunity to collaborate closely with many faculty, graduate students, and engineering practitioners throughout California and the Western United States. These collaborative research experiences, and the relationships developed through this, have been an invaluable asset while starting my academic career."

"As a student, PEER instilled in me the value of an inter-disciplinary and collaborative research environment. From the beginning, I was able to cultivate relationships with both students and faculty across various universities and specialties, which strengthened my foundation for future research."

"I am where I am today because of PEER and all the experience and contacts it has given me. There are many young faculty members who owe PEER considerable gratitude. This collection of PEER graduates, I think, is one of the greatest legacies of the PEER Center."

Ken Ellwood
Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering
University of British Columbia